We pour a brew of the richest black-brown, letting up only flecks of light around the edges. It holds a two finger head of milky, medium brown bubbles, showing nice retention. Spotty, patterned lacing is left dripping down the glass. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears to be active. The aroma gives coffee, chocolate, and brown malts which mix and give chalky dryness and light vanilla sweetness. Metallics, medicinal phenols, dark shoe polish, and black pepper spice fill the remainder of the space in the nostrils. Our first impression is that the flavoring has nice components throughout, but is relatively mild. The flavoring opens with metallics, brown malts, sweaty saltiness, toffee sweetness, and strong coffee acidity. The malts enhance to the peak, where soy sauce saltiness, light grassy hops, cooked brown and raw chocolate malts, roast, and white sugars blend. The finish comes with lactic sourness, chalky chocolate and raw metallic coffee malts, must, roasty acidity, baker’s yeast, watered vinegar, and bittered chocolate sugars. The aftertaste breathes of chalk, roast, mineral water, metallics, the faintest vanillas, coffee and chocolate malts, and soured medicinals. The body is lightly medium, and the carbonation is medium. The mouth is dried through the sip, with chalky astringency to the back of the hard palate. There is decent slurp and sip, with nice cream and froth. The abv is fine, and the beer drinks easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was the aroma with its rich malty base, and nice blend with the phenolic, boozy, and spicy notes throughout. The flavor translates this interplay nicely, giving equal strength to the malt base and the complementary sweetness of the other included sugars. To this point no flavoring is explicitly overwhelmed, but the ultimate taste is a bit basic. This is a nice, standard beer, but, again, deviates little from the stylistic guidelines, leaving you with little to think about.

Decent example of the style, with the expected slightly smoky aroma and taste. But no more than that; everything about it is kind of run-of-the-mill. (I rated a few qualities higher than average just because I like the style.) I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Taste- crisp carbonation bite some slight roasty and coffee like notes. A hint of plastic on the end with some cider like qualities as well. hops balance out.

Mouthfeel- way fizzy. but light on the palette refreshing

Overall- well this one needs to settle down a bit, the black lager is a popular one now and i think the reason you do a black lager is to have the drinkability of the lager with the subtle roastedness of a dark grain. this has it, if you a patient enough. Pair with Charcuterie, and a early spring morning.

A good tasting, light-bodied dark lager. The body is almost featherweight, but I suppose that goes with the lager style. If a porter or stout seems like too much at the time, but you want a dark beer flavor, this one is a good choice.

S: some hops and roasted grains right up front....a bit of chocolate bar soon follows, taking on more of a malted milk ball in time....a cool, mint-like (hop?) aroma later...the chocolate element pops out more as it warms, but the overall smell stays quite mellow